


Sign of the Times

by HellishSam



Category: Star Stable
Genre: Fluff, Healing Friendships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-30
Updated: 2019-01-30
Packaged: 2019-10-19 11:12:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17600234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HellishSam/pseuds/HellishSam
Summary: Daine goes to talk to Willow about what happened. Willow opens up about why she tried to warn him about Ydris so much.Happens a little after Mine by Burgie





	Sign of the Times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [willownorthbook](https://archiveofourown.org/users/willownorthbook/gifts).



Another day had arrived on South Hoof. Another day Daine looked in the mirror, his broad shoulders tense. At least now he’d shaved the scruff off his face, took a shower, and started to care for himself again. Though he still felt like crap, and things were still bad. Yes, he’d forgiven Ariana and talked to her. But he still felt miserable. He was still walking a thin line with the man still asleep in his bed, but most importantly, a friend who he considered to be his sister, didn’t even want to talk.

 

Well, that was a lie. Daine had shut everyone out. Especially Willow. They never talked anymore, they only bickered and fought. They couldn’t do anything together anymore, even with friends. Not without Willow saying some smart remark or without Daine saying something aimed at her. Even their friends were scared of taking the both of them somewhere, scared that either fists or fire were going to be thrown.

 

Sighing, Daine left the counter of his bathroom, and went to his kitchen. His house felt cold with thin trust. Half of Daine wondered if he should go check and see if Ydris was still in bed, scared that maybe he disappeared to…

 

No, he needed to stop thinking like that. They were together for real now. He needed to have trust. But as he thought that, he found himself going to check his bedroom hesitantly. And sure enough, there he was. The pale light of morning hitting his skin just slightly. And even as Daine felt some relief, he could still hear Willow’s voice in his head.

 

_ He’s going to hurt you. _

 

_ I don’t want you to get hurt. _

 

_ Daine if you don’t leave him something bad is going to happen! _

 

And before he started to cry again, Daine left the room. Maybe he should go talk to Willow, maybe things would work out better. Would she be awake though? It was about 6 AM, Willow was usually awake at work by now.

 

Daine shook his head as he took his phone out. Why was he mad at her even? She was right, Ydris hurt him almost too many times to count. Yet here he was, letting Ydris stay in his home, sleeping next to him every night. Talking to him, spilling his guts to someone who broke his trust.

 

Staring at Willow’s number, he turned his phone off. He couldn’t just tell her out of the blue that he was coming over. She’d probably wrap her house in vines that kept him out. Maybe a surprise visit would be better somehow.

 

Taking a step out of his house, Daine walked down the path to the stable. The smell of horses filled his nose, letting his anxiety fall away as he saw some of the horses lift their heads from sleep. He smiled as he approached one of his geldings. Daine settled on taking Magic today, he was a gentle soul and might calm his anxiety.

 

He only threw a rope halter on the fluffy gelding, mounting him with ease once outside the barn. The sun was climbing a little higher in the sky now, more shops would be open. He could probably stop for a coffee and get a tea for Willow. Pressing his legs to Magic’s sides, he rode down the path to the South Hoof ferry.

 

It wasn’t a long wait when he ordered the coffee and tea at the Fort Pinta café. Probably because it was Saturday and still early. Once he got his drinks, he put them in a special cup holder in one of his saddle bags, that way he didn’t have to worry about dropping them or having them spill everywhere. And off he was, on the road to try to heal a friendship that was badly broken.

 

The trip along the Silversong River was as calm as always, the sound of the calm river relaxing Daine’s nerves a little as he rode along the path. The sun was just in his eyes a little, but not enough to bother him fully. His mind was still stuck on what he’d say to Willow once he got to her house in the village. He couldn’t just apologize like nothing happened. He knew she wouldn’t take any of that seriously. Daine dragged a hand down his face, letting out a groan. Maybe he should just let things take their own course.

 

Daine’s anxiety climbed into his throat as he dismounted Magic next to Willow’s house, taking the cup of coffee and cup of tea out of his bag. As he could hear the thrumming of blood in his ears, he made his way up the steps. He stared at the door as if it would swallow him whole. What if Willow slammed the door in his face? What if she slapped him? What if she broke off their friendship for good…? No. Willow was more understanding that.

 

Taking a breath, Daine held the drinks close to his chest with one hand and knocked with his left fist. Upon drawing his fist back and placing one drink into each hand, the door creaked open. It was dark inside, reminding Daine of the time he’d come to comfort Willow when she was at her lowest. Now here he was again, try to mend a broken bridge.

 

“Daine? The hell are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be on South Hoof?” She asked, her voice a little hoarse but still had a bite of venom. Daine stared at her. Her hair was messy from sleep. She looked like she had a rough night. Probably because of his stupid mistakes.

 

“Uh, I just… wanted to talk about what happened. I brought you your favorite tea.” He said softly as he held the cup out, scared that if he spoke too loudly she’d fling him away with a vine.

 

Willow took the cup with both hands. It was warm and she could smell the herbs, it was calming. She took a sip and brought it down from her lips and looked at her friend again. She considered this disaster being her brother once. Now she wasn’t so sure.

 

“And why would you want to talk to me about that? I think you made it pretty clear that you just don’t want to hear my advice, you know, given the fact you’re back with that purple-eyed-cunt. After all he did to you. And how I tried to protect you.” Willow shot a green glare at him, digging her nails into the foam cup just slightly.

 

Daine bit back the urge to defend his boyfriend. He was tired of hearing this but he needed to get his friend back. He was more tired of fighting with her than hearing this lecture. Letting out a soft sigh, Daine put his anger deep down. “I just want to talk. And to be friends again.”

 

Willow’s glare softened slightly, Daine was almost as pathetic as the parasite he called a lover, but he was still her friend. And she had admittedly missed him and hated fighting with him. With a couple of steps, she let him in.

 

“Sit in that seat, just so you can leave faster if I get tired of your bitching.” She said, going to sit on a another chair and sip her tea after she closed the door.

 

“Thanks for the warm welcome.” Daine muttered under his breath, taking a seat where he was instructed, taking a long drink from his coffee before it got cold.

 

“Look I’ve had a rough month. A really rough month. I’m not really in the mood to deal with bullshit.” Willow then set her cup on the small table beside her. “So, are you here to make amends or beg me to forgive that absolute abusive fuck you call a boyfriend?”

 

Again, Daine forced his anger away before he quite literally exploded. “I just wanted to talk. Talk about us… and why you’ve just been pushing me away. Granted, I haven’t been the best either, but I’ve had a rough month too.”

 

“Gee, I wonder why.” Willow rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. She was so tired of hearing about Ydris from Daine. Ydris this, Ydris that. He wasn’t a fucking angel and he proved that. But here Daine was, crawling right back into the same trap. The hell made him want to go back so bad, anyway? It was probably something really stupid, knowing Daine.

 

“Willow, I want to be friends again, and I want to start by saying I’m… really sorry for fighting with you. I know, it looks really bad with me going back to Ydris after everything that’s happened. But he’s helped me with things that no one else could. I know it sounds crazy, but I trust him.” Daine said, setting his coffee down and looking into his friend’s eyes. He could see more anger building behind those green eyes. Shit, he really did something bad now.

 

“Trust? You trust him? More than your own friends? What? Just because he fucked you a good thousand times Daine?! Do you have  _ any  _ idea of why I tried to warn you?” Willow spat at him. She was done holding back.

 

Taking a deep breath, Willow started on her tangent. “Well, if you didn’t before, you’re certainly fucking going to now. Now let me just tell you about Kai. No, not the fact that she cheated on me. Not the fact that I dated her for three years. But the very reason why she cheated, why it scared me so, and why I tried to fucking. Warn. You.”

 

She took a sip of her tea. “I started dating Kai my first year of high school before my parents even knew I was bi. You know how much anxiety that can cause, even if your parents are accepting. I dated her for a couple months, and it was her that gave me the strength to overcome my fear and anxiety and just tell my parents. It was her that helped me. Maybe my dad as well, but otherwise, no one else.”

 

Daine didn’t know the feeling of accepting parents, at all. He was verbally abused by his whole family, especially his dad. Being called a mistake left and right. Willow had it easy in that department, but he kept quiet as to not interrupt her.

 

“I trusted her so much. I trusted her with everything. She was always there for me, always behind my back to support me. She held me through my ups and downs, no matter what it was -- schoolwork, family tensions, band work -- you name it, Kai was probably there. And I did the same for her. I did the same for her even when she stopped showing up. When she started to get busy with work. I accepted those excuses. They were valid, weren’t they? Working to save money for college is more important than a high school sweetheart, isn’t it?” Willow’s voice was starting to break with emotion. Talking about this was bringing up old wounds. Wounds she had hidden from everyone.

 

Taking another drink of her tea, she tried to soothe her nerves to keep calm, it helped only a little. “Not to mention, she was my first. Surprising, I know, me, the fucking prude of the group that gets teased for it all the damn time. And I trusted her there, too. And I felt safe. Even though there were some nights I was confused. She wasn’t satisfied no matter what I did. I tried my best but I wasn’t doing enough for her. She never did anything bad to me, but she was clearly upset with me.” She sounded upset...

 

“Here comes the end of junior year of high school. I’m having a fucking fantastic time at the talent show. I’m going ham on the drums. And I don’t see her in the crowd. I figure, well, it’s a big crowd, she’s probably in the back, or even backstage. Sure enough, she was backstage, making out with some other slut from our fucking school.” Tears were forming in Willow’s eyes now. Daine felt horrible. All of this was horrible. No wonder she was so upset with him. But Willow wasn’t done just yet.

 

“I still didn’t find out for a couple months. Not until my friend snuck out to a party Kai was at and found her all over this other chick. Kai came clean and begged my friend not to tell. I wasn’t good enough. She held my heart and soul for three. Fucking. Years. She was there for me every fucking day. And look at what she did. And now, do you fucking see why I’m tired of your shit? Why I’m a prude, which apparently is a problem with the friend group? Why I keep my relationships so personal? I know how much it hurts when that happens, Daine. I’ve been there. And like I said, this was three. Years. Of trust and support, all down the drain, because I just wasn’t trying hard enough, apparently. And guess what. Despite everything she put me through, I would never, ever, in a thousand years, wish that pain on anyone else. Even her. Even the girl who shattered my heart." She was sobbing at this point. She couldn’t keep it together anymore.

 

Daine couldn’t say anything. He had no words. If only he had known. He then got up from his chair and Willow did the same. The two met in the middle with a tight hug. Daine usually didn’t like giving hugs to people, but this was an exception.

 

“Willow I-I can’t image what you went through I’m… I’m so sorry.” He choked, only to find himself crying now too. She was hurting so much and he had no idea. Hell he probably only made things worse for her. Daine couldn’t even imagine the pain Willow felt when she saw him take Ydris back after all those times.

 

“It’s alright, Daine, just don’t tell anyone else what I told you, okay?” She asked, looking into his sad sunset eyes. He nodded and hugged her tightly one last time before letting her go. Both of the friends looked at each other and let out a couple of small giggles mixed with some pathetic sniffling of runny noses. Laughing at how pathetic they both looked.

 

“Would you care to go to Firgrove and get another tea and coffee?” Daine asked, a small smile on his face. The air around them felt lighter now.

 

“Maybe later, you know, once I get some real clothes on.” She said, gesturing to her pajamas.

 

“Fair enough, I’ll see you around then?” He asked, opening the door and looking back at her one last time.

 

For the first time in a long time, Willow smiled back at him. “Yeah, I’ll see you around.”


End file.
